Appalachian Trail Prep

Appalachian Trail Shuttles are hiker taxis that will ferry you to and from the trail when you need to leap-frog to the end of a section or need a ride to a nearby town, hostel, train or bus station. They’re part of the unregulated network of hiker services that you …

You do (still) need maps to hike the Appalachian Trail, but they’re probably not the kind that you expect. There are two halves to every Appalachian Trail experience: backpacking the trail itself and navigating the communities that border the trail. While you don’t need to carry paper maps anymore to follow …

People who section hike the Appalachian Trail, hike it a segment at a time, on weekends or whenever it’s convenient for them to get away for a few days. There’s no need to quit your job or school. While it’s not as glamorous or social as a thru-hike, you can …

If you’re thinking about thru-hiking or section hiking the Appalachian Trail, make sure you take a buy the latest A.T. Guide, written and compiled by David Miller (trail name AWOL). The Guide has town maps, GPS coordinates to trail heads, mail drop instructions, sections on town and trail etiquette, elevation profile …

What is the best camping tent or backpacking shelter for thru-hiking and backpacking all or some of the Appalachian Trail? Running over 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine, the Appalachian Trail travels across heavily forested and mountainous terrain, with widely varying temperatures, both hot and cold. Frequent rain, ferocious insect life, and …

Permethrin is an insect repellant and insecticide that bonds to fabric and can be used on your clothes, tent, or hammock to prevent Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, or the Zika Virus by killing ticks, mosquitos, and insects that land on your stuff. The liquid Permethrin application techniques discussed below …

Had a reader me recently asking me how I managed to get any sleep when backpacking solo. He’d gone on their first overnight trip in Dolly Sods (WV) and been freaked out worrying about eastern bears at night and being attacked while he lay in his hammock. My response: “I am …

Many ultralight backpackers bring extra clothing on trips that they never wear and end up carrying for no purpose. Doing this has a ripple effect, because it means you need a larger backpack to carry the extra clothing, which is probably going to weigh more. Instead of bringing extra clothes, …

National Geographic publishes a thirteen map Appalachian Trail Illustrated map set of waterproof paper maps that cover the length of the Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Maine’s Mt Katahdin. Available as a complete set or in separate 200-250 mile sections of trail ($14.95 each), they’re cleverly packaged in booklet form instead of …

It’s a sad fact that many of the grocery stores you used to find in small towns along the Appalachian Trail and other hiking trails have been replaced by gas station convenience stores. The quality of food available has suffered and it can be difficult to walk away with anything resembling …

Backpacking and outdoor gear companies sponsor hikers and other athletes because it’s a very inexpensive form of advertising. The basic formula goes like this: they give you a piece of free gear or a steep discount on purchases you make through them, and you become a walking billboard for their …

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy says that 20% of the people who claim to hiking the Appalachian Trail each year are section hikers, although I suspect that the actual number is much higher. While some section hikers complete the trail in just a few years, many others take a decade or more to hike all …